Constant-level fuel-feed.



N. M.` LA PORTE. CONSTANT lLEVEL FUEL FEED. APPLICATIONy FILED MN. 5, I1916.

1,196,552. PatentedAug. 29,1916'.

3 SHEETS-SHEET l.

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CONSTANT LEVEL FUEL FEED;

APPLICATION FILED )AN-5.1916.

1,1 96,552. Patented Aug. 29, 1916. a SHEETS-SHEET 2.

N. M. LA PONE, CONSTANT LEVEL FUEL FEED.

APPLICATION FILED JAN. 5.1916A 1 ,1 96,552. Patented Aug. 29, 1916.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 3- 'www Witwe/bow y d @Trouw/14 l.need be no vacuum.

Nonmmjx` u. LA roms, or BALTmon'n, MARYLAND.

CONSTANT-LEVEL FUEL-FEED.

Specication of Letters Yatent.

Patented Aug. 29, 1 916.

Application med January s, 191s. serial no. 70,384.

To all lwhom it may concern Be it known that I, Nounn'r M. LA PORTE, a citizen of the United States of .America, and'resident of the city of Baltimore, State of Maryland, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Constant-Level Fuel-Feeds, of which the following is a specification.

The applicant has produced a constant head or constant level fuel supply system which is positive in its operation, is not af-l fected by air leaks, clogged with carbon or destroyed by the wide variations of pressure in the combustion chamber. The gasolene is lifted to a supplementary tank by electrical means which may be operated from the ignition system or from some other convenient source of electricity and timed by the engine so that the quantity of fuel lifted bears a direct relation to the engine speed and fuel consumption. The electric means may also include a hand-operated member for controlling'the circuit when the engine is idle to generate the necessary head at which fuel is supplied, prior to starting after the engine has been idle for a considerable time.

The lifting means is preferably at the bottom of the entire fuel system so that the last drop of fuel is available and the system may be made insensitive to air leaks as there vWit-h the device described for preventing accumulation of fuel above a certain level and means for lifting a quantity of fuel at all times slightly in excess of the consumption and varying with the speed of the engine, a constant head is maintained with the minimum expenditure of energy.

ln the accompanying drawings, I have illustrated so much of an internal combustion engine provided with a feeding system embodying the various features of my invention as is necessary to a complete understanding of the inventive idea.

ln the drawings, Figure 1 is a side elevation of an automobile engine provided with a constant head'fuel feed; Fig. 2 is a central section showing a supplementary or con-v stant head supply tank or chamber; Fig. 3-

is a similar view of an electrically operated pump with the immediate connections; Fig. 4 is a central section through a carburetor with a constant head tank attached; Fig. '5 is a. view similar to Fig. f3 showing a dia phragm pump; and Fig. 6 is a view illustrating a modified. form of electriclmeans for operating the pump.

`Referring to the drawings by numerals,A

the device comprises an automobile power plant including a gasolene engine 1, a supply tank 2, a supplementary supply tank1 or constant head chamber 3, carbureter 4 and ignition system 5l The fuel supply tank 2 corresponds to 'and may be identical in location, capacity, etc., with the supply tanks now used in the simple gravity system. This is connected at or near the bottom by means of a pipe or tube 6 with a pump or equivalent device 7, preferably at or near the lowest point in the system, by means of which the fuel is lifted to the constant head or supplementary tank or chamber 8, the latter being suitably connected to the lift side of the pump by means` of a pipe 8 from which constant head tank 3 the gasolene is led to the carbureter by way of the supply pipe 9. As the pump 7 is of a capacity sufficient to more than equal the demands on the engine, the predetermined level in the constant head chamber 3 may be maintained by any suitable means as the well-known float valve or, as illustrated, in the present instance by an overflow pipe 10 having its intake end 11 inside the constant head tank or chamber 3 and at the fuel level intended to be maintained.

The overflow pipe 10, as shown, leads back to the feed pipe 6 at a point between the tank and the pump, preferably near the latter to dispense with friction in handling the overflow and thus reduce the expenditure of energy in operating the pump, which latter, however, is of course very slight.

An important feature of the invention is found in the operating means for the pump. The latter is electrically driven and, as shown in Fig. 3, consists of a cylinder 12 closed at all points except the inlet or suction opening 13 and the outlet or lift opening 14. These are at one end of the cylinder and the pump is single acting containing a piston` 15 of magnetic material, as iron or steel, the cylinder being preferably of nonmagnetic material, as brass or the like and encircling the cylinder is a solenoid 16 of which the piston 15 is the core. It is evident that but one-half of the stroke canbe accomplished by the action of the solenold and the piston is returned by means of a coil spring cushioning device at the opposite end of the 17 of slight tension. Preferably, there is a y cylinder which may in the form of a spring 18 of less tension than the spring 17. While the springs, as shown, are of considerable length,.the capacity of the pump,'owing `to the stpeed of the motor and small consumption o *gasolene per stroke, is necessarily small and for this reason, the stroke of the pump is very short.` As illustrated, .the

working stroke is limited by the shoulder 19 I stant head tank 2 and 3.

rThe operation of the pump shown in Fig. 3 is obvious. Means is provided, as hereinafter described, for making and breaking the current through the coil 16 of the solenoid. When there is no current, it is obvious that the piston must take a position in which its weight and the tension ofy the springs are in equilibrium. This position is illustrated in Fig. 3 and when the coil is energized by closing the circuit, the core is drawn downward toward a central position in the coil, the bottom spring being slightly compressed. When the current is again broken, the core moves upward. By. continual making and'breaking'of'the circuit, a corresponding continual reciprocation of the piston is maintained. iThe pumping operation is obvious. @n the upward stroke,

the gasolene isidrawn in orvotherwise entersl through the inlet pipe 6, unseating the valve 20, and on the downward stroke, the liquid is forced through the pipe 8, the valve 21 being in turn unseated and the valve 20 returned to its seat. ln this way, a supply of gasolene proportionate to the frequency of the interruptions of the circuit, is passed upward through the pipe 8 to the supplementary tank or chamber An alternative form of pump is illustrated in Fig. 5. Instead of a reciprocating piston, I use a diaphragm 25 mounted in a suitable casing 26. The chamber 27 in the casing 2G, inclosed-on one side by the diaphragm, corresponds in function to the pump cylinder and is provided with an inlet or suction pipe 28` leading to the supply tank 2, and anoutlet or delivery pipe 29 leading to the constant head or supplementary tank 3, and in each pipe 28 and 29, there is a suitable nonreturn valve 30 and 31, respectively. The vibratory motion necessary to expand and contract the 'volume of the chamber 27 and thus accomplish the pumping action, is communicated to the diaphragm by lmeans of a solenoid 32 with a core 33 engaging the center of the diaphragm in any suitable'manner, as by means of a rod 34. l

It will be understood" that.v the diaphragm the other hand, is slightly displaced from normal position when the diaphragm takes 1ts central or flat position so that when the circuit is closed and the solenoid, being en- .erg1zed,'acts on the core and tends to draw it to central position in the solenoid, a thrust is exerted by way of the rod 34 on the center of the diaphragm and the diaphragm is flexedl proportionately to the thrust, con-v tracting the chamber 27. When. the circuit is open, the core 33 is released and the thrust being removed fromv the diaphragm, the latter tends to recover its normal position and,

acting through the rod 34, returns the core 33 to the initial position as shown in Fig. 5. In some instances, it has been found desirable to provide a spring 35 of very slight tension, having an action supplementary to the diaphragm, tending to overcome the friction of the parts and return the core to normal position when the circuit is open.

lt will be apparent that having the solenoid connected to a source/fof `electricity withsuitable means inserted in the circuit for making and breaking the current, a pumping action may be thus set up, the pump chamber 27 being 4contracted when the current is made and expanded when the current is broken, the valve 30 being unseated', admitting fluid from the tank on the expansion stroke and seated tovprevent the return of the liquid to the supply tank on the contraction stroke, and the valve 31 being unseated by the increased pressure, causing the Huid to How to the supplementary tank 3.

As will be understood from the previous description and preamble, my invention contemplates the use in connection with a supplementary constant head supply tank, of electrical means for maintaining the supply of fuel and therefore thehead in the supplementary tank, consisting of an electrically driven pump the operation of which is coincident with and proportionate in speed to the speed of the engine. ln what is at presentconsidered the preferred form of the invention, as illustrated herein, the electrical element may be cordinated with the ignition system, the current being made or broken by the ignition timer or distributer, and if the source of current used for the ignition has sufficient capacity, this may be utilized as a means for operating the pump, or the \pump may be operated from a. separate source of current made and broken by a de- 'vice independent of the ignition system but operated by the engine, so that the timing is `proportionate to the speed of the engine.

lbox 42. There is one primary coil to each cylinder and each primary coilv is in'closed g in the correspondingcylinder. In the operation of the ignition system', the primary coils are grounded in turn by means of the ,by a. secondary coil connected to a. spark p l1 timer 39 to the contacts of which each pril mar coil is connected by a wire 40 contained in tie loom 41 whereby a current is passed through the grounded primary coil and a potential suilicient to give an ignition spark 1s set up in the corresponding secondary coil. In operating the pump from this system, I take into consideration the fact that the capacity'of the magneto is large as compared to the demands put upon it by the ignition system. Vith this fact in view, I find the most efficient operation can be had by connecting the solenoid 16 of the pump to the termina-l 37 of the magneto by means of a suitable lead, as the wire 43. Having the plus terminal of the solenoid thus connected to a practically unlimited source of electricity, it is only necessary in order to operate the pump, to ground'the other terminal of the solenoid at intervals, the speed of the pump depending upon the intervals of grounding. As the consumption of Vgasolene is in av way proportionate to the speed of the engine, it is best that the requency of the grounding should also be proportionate to the speed of the engine and I therefore preferably use a timer which is operated by the engine. In the present instance, as such a. timer grounding the engine circuit at intervals, is already provided in the forml of the timer 39 in the primary circuit, I iind it merely necessary to vconnect the ground or return wire 44 of the solenoid to one of the ground terminals 45 of the primary coils. In this way, the solenoid is put in parallel or in multiple arc with one of the primary coilsand a current is passed through it every time this particular primary coil is grounded, which is once in each cycle or two revolutions of the engine, though the exact frequency of the pump, as compared to the speed of the engine, seems to be immaterial and merely a question of the capacity of the pum and the speed at which it is found de sirab e to operate it, the fixed requisite being that the pump must be of suilicient capacity to supply a little more gasolene than is necessary to operate the engine at anytime and. as this is a function of both the speed and displacement, either can be fixed and the other correspondingly determined. Y

In Fig. 6, I have shown in connection with an eight cylinder style of motor having four left-hand cylinders 46 and four right-hand cylinders 47 and an elevated carbureter 48, another embodiment of my invention in which the source of current is a battery or other means independant 'of the tion.

The current from this 'source is led t ough the solenoid 'as in the forms of the invention already described, and the circuit is made .and broken at suitable intervals proportionate to the speed of the engine, by a timing device connected to and operated by the moving parts of the engine. I

Referrin to the drawing, I have illustrated in ig. 6, a battery 50 connected by wires 51 through the solenoid 16 to a terminal `52. The terminal is preferably a spring member and the circuit is made by means of a Vconducting segment carried by the engine. In the present instance, the segment 55 is attached to one of the timer gears 56 on the cam shaft. As it rotates, it comes in contact with the terminal 52, grounding the battery through the solenoid at intervals and thus energizing the solenoid and operating the ump. It is apparent that by means of suitable gearing or multiplication of the segments, the circuit may be made and broken and the pump may be operated at any desired speed Vrelation with the engine and that this may be accomplished independently o= the ignition system, and that the relation is always positive in this as in the other form of the device.

necessary head in starting after a long in- ,te'rval of rest or in case of leakage through 4the carbureter. valves, etc., I may provide a hand-operated control for the pump circuit. This is shownlin Figs. 1 and 6. In Fig. 1 there is a battery 65 connected to the solenoid 16 of the pump by a. wire 66 in cluding a switch 67. On the dash or licor board is a crank 68 carrying a rotary contact 69 with a plurality of contact points 69. The crank is connected to the engine frame via ground wire 70 and the terminal or brush 71 in the path of the moving con tacts 6 9 is connected to the wire 44 leading from the pump solenoid 16 so that by closing the switch 67 and turning the crank,

iio

the battery is grounded at intervals through the pump solenoid 16 and the pump thusmanually controlled and operated inde-- Y nected to the terminal of the pump solenoid 16 remote -rom the battery. By giving the crank a few turns, a charge is lifted when needed to the supplementary tank without operating or turning the engine.

To reduce the number of parts and achieve ist que

greater simplicityin the arrangement of' the ignition system embodying the constant gravity bead principle, l have illustrated in liige, acarbureter f8@ vvbich may be of any preferred ,type as to tbe fuel nozzle 6l, constant level iloat chamber 62 and float valve 63, ,but which is novel in that tbere is formed `integral 'with or immediately at tached to the carburetor body, a constant header supplementary supply chamber del. Gfasolene is supplied to this chamber by a pipe 8 and the constant level is maintained in any suitable manner as by overflow pipe l0, as in the embodiments already described, but instead of tbe pipe 9 leadinen dovvnvvard to the carburetor, as in the other embodiments of the invention, ll have shovvn an interior passage vvay 65 controlled bythe usual Host valve 63, the inlet Ill to the overflow pipe being Well above the level maintained by the float 67 so as to give the necessary head and fuel reserve to supply the enginel under all conditions.

'lhe functions and. relations of the combined parts have been so fully brought out in thepreamble and specification that little description of their manner of cooperation is thought tobe necessary. The gasolene is led by gravity from the lovver portion of the supply tanlr to the pump vvbich is at a point normally as low as, or lovrer than, the tank. 'llhe pump is electrically operated by a current .controlled by a moving part of the engine and the gasolene is lifted positively to the constant head tanlr in quantities varying vvith the speed of the engine and more than' sutcient to supply the demands of the engine under all conditions, the level being maintained constant in the supply tank by a suitable control as an overdow or the lilre. Fromthis point, the fuel v is led to the carburetor.

fered to tbe trade have a constant level While practically all carbureters novv ofsu ply chamber and. iloat valve, the device .is so affected by conditions of operation and the requirements to be met are so enactingthat the necessityfor supplying fuel to the carburetor at a constant head in order to malte it possibletomaintain a constantv level in the supply chamber, is apparent and on this the operation of the fuel nozzle of the carburetor;y and' hence the provision of Aan effluent mixture, is dependent. 'The enperience of observant operators has both called attention to this necessity and confirmed tbe correctness of the theory recited l have thus describedv my invention 'specically and lin detail in order tliat its nature and operation may be"k clearly under-4 stood; however, the specic terms herein are used descriptively rather than in their limiting sense and the scope oftlie invention is defined in the claims: A Y

l. vln an internal combustion engine,l in

combination, a main supply 'tank for liquid fuel, a carburetor, a supplementary supply tanl: higher than the carburetor, a pump near the bottom of the fuel supply system,

' electric means for operating the pump, and

supply tank bigher than the carburetor and near the transverse plane of the carburetor, a pump near the bottom of the fuel supply system with suitable connections for talring fuel from the main supply tank and lifting it tothe supplementary tanlr, means for maintainingn a constant level in the supplementary tank, connections from the supplementary tanlr to tbe carburetor, electric means 1n the form of a solenoid in the core for operating the pump, a source of electricity and means timed by the engine to maire and break the circuit and energize the core at intervals determined by .the speed of the engine to operate the pumpat a -speed proportionate to that of the engine.

t. ln an internal combustion engine, in

combination, a main supply tanlr for liquid electric Ameans for o cretina' the v um with i connections to the source of current and the timer, whereby tbe operation of the pump is controlled by the timer and hence by the speed of the engine.

5. ln an internal combustion engine, in combination, a ymain supply tanlr for li uid fuel, a carburetor, a supplementary 'nel supply tanlr extending above tbe carburetor and near tlie transverse plane ofthe. carbuf roter, a pump With suitable connections for talring fuel from the main supply` tanlr and delivering1l it to tbe supplementary tank,

means f for checking the laccumulation of-` fuel in the supplementary tank, vvliereby a constant fuel level is maintained in that tank, which is above the fuel level in the carbureter, connections from the supplementary tank to the carbureter, an ignitlon system including a magneto, a primary coil, a timer, a secondary coil, means for o rating the pump consisting of a coil an a core with connections to the moving parts of the pump, and means connecting the coil to the magneto and to the timer whereby the coil is energized with a frequenc determined by the s eed of the engine an the pump is operate at a corresponding speed.

6. In an internal combustion engine, in combination, amain supply tank for liquid fuel, a carbureter, a supplementary fuel sup.-

ply tank extending above the carburetor rv and near the transverse plane of the carmeans for operating the pump consisting o frequency determined by a coil and a core with connections to the moving parts of the pump, and means connecting the coil to the magneto and to the timer whereby the-coil is energized with a the speed of the engine and the pump is operated at a corresponding speed.-

7. Inv an internal combustion engine in combination, a carbureter, a main supply tank, a supplementary supply tank smaller 4than the main tank, located at a higher level, connected to the carbureter and adapted to feed fuel to the carbureter at a substantially constant head, a pump for lifting the fuel from the main tank'to the supplementary supply tank and electric means timed by the engine for o erating the pump.

8. In an internal com ustion engine, in combination, a main supply tank, a supplenientary tank near the transverse Vertical plane of the carbureter and higher than the carbureter, a pump for lifting the fuel from the main tank to the supplementary supply tank, electric means timed by the engine for operating the pump, and. manually op.-

erated means for controlling the electricA means to operate the pump independently of the engine in starting.

9. ln an internal combustion englne, in

c combination, a main supply tank for liquid fuel, a carbureter, a supplementary fuel supply tank higher' than the carbureter and near the transverse plane of the carbureter,

"u ally operated -means a pump near the bottom of the fuel su ply system .with suitable connections for ta g fuel from the main supply tank and lifting it to the supplementary tank, means for maintaining a constant level in the supplementary tank, connections from the supplementary tank to the carbureter, electric means in the form of ya solenoid in the core for operating the pump, a source of electricity, means timed by the engine to make and break the circuit and energize the core at intervals determinedby the speed of the engme to operate the pump at a speed proportionate to that of the engine, and manually operated means for controlling the electric means to operate the pump independently of the engine in starting.

l0. In an internal combustion engine, in combination, a main supply tank for liquid fuel, a carbureter, a supplementary supply tank above the norniai levelof the liquid in the carbureter and near-the vertical transverse plane of the carbureter, a pump near the bottom of the fuel supply chamber With connections for taking fuel from the main supplyA tank and lifting it to the supplementary supply tank, means for checking the accumulation of fuel in the supplementary tank whereby a constant level and a constant gravity head are maintained, connections from the supplementary tank to the carbureter, an ignition system with a source of current and a timing device, electric means for operating the pump with connections to the source of current and the timer, whereby the operation of the pump is controlled by the timer and hence by the speed of the engine, and manually operated means for controlling the electric means to operate the pump independently of the engine in starting.

1l. In an internal combustion engine, in combination, a, main supply tank for liquid fuel, a carbureter, a supplementary fuel supply tank extending above the carbureter and near the transverse plane of the carbureter, a pump with suitable connections for taking fuel from the main supply tank and deliverl ing it to the supplementary tank, means for checking the accumulation of fuel in the supplementary tank whereby a constant fuel level is maintained in that tank, which is above the fuel level in the carbureter, connections from the supplementary tank to the carbureter, an ignition system including a magneto, a primary coil, a timer, a sec-V ondary coil, means for operating the pump consisting ofa coil and a core with connecmeans connecting the coil to the magneto and to the timer whereby the coil is energized with a frequency determined by the speed of the engine and the .pump 1s operated at a corresponding speed, and manfor controlling the .tions to the moving parts of the pump,

pendentif] on? the engme in ssmtmg.

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